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Monday, June 1, 2009

I got the chance to try out a couple new apps for my iPhone the other day. I have to admit that my iPhone is as much a video game/toy/entertainment center for my little kids, as it is a phone for me. Yeah, I've got a couple apps on there that I use like Facebook and Twitter and this one that has a virtual ocean complete with crashing waves. But I have 2 pages of apps to occupy the little kids while we're out. I've gotta say, I'm loving this technology. When we're sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office, I don't have to drag along coloring books, and crayons, and dolls, and cars, and activity books. All I need to do it pull out my phone and let the little kids watch a video or play a game when they're getting restless and we've already played "I Spy" 4000 times.Color Now is one of the new apps I tried out. You can choose from 12 images (more to come later) to color. The images aren't well-known characters so my little kids were less than enthusiastic about them. You "color" the pages by touching the color crayon you want and then touching the section of the picture you want to color. There are no sound effects or music so it's a nice quiet game that can entertain the kids when they need to play quietly so you don't disturb others around you.

Although I love the idea of having virtual coloring pages for the kids, we found these particular pictures difficult for the little ones to color. They have a lot of really small spaces that my 3 and 5 year old lacked the coordination to "color". I think simpler, larger images would've been much easier and more enjoyable for the little ones to color. As it is, they lost interest in this app quickly. Now, if you're an older kid or an adult who likes to color, you'll probably like to play with this app.

The other one I checked was Stuck Genie. In this game, you maneuver a ball around a maze while picking up other balls on the way. You have to figure out how to move all the balls around the walls of the maze while scooping up every last one. There are numerous levels of increasing difficulty so you won't get bored. There are sound effects and music on this game, but you can control the volume on each. You can also type in your name and the app automatically saves your progress so when you get to level 23 and decide to take a break, you don't have to start all over at level 1 the next time you pick up your iPod/iPhone.

This game is too hard for little kids, but older kids and adults who like puzzle games, will love it! I'm personally addicted to I personally like this game. Savannah liked it so much, she put it on her iPod and my friend's 7th grader played it "to help me win a level", but had a hard time giving my phone back to me when he finished the level. It's a fun time-waster!

If you've got an iPod or iPhone, leave me a comment here and you could win both these new apps for FREE! I'll choose 2 random winners on Thursday.

67 comments:

A few other 'must-have' apps are: Pocket God, Crayon Physics, Koi Pond, Yelp, AAA Discounts (Great for if you're a AAA member - it will tell you all the places near where you are that give AAA discounts!), Moron Test (fun and frustrating!) and Parking Lot!

I just got an ipod last week for my birthday. They are such great time wasters. And I have to admit that I also have a bunch of apps just for my kids: Defend your castle, crystal ball and more. Also some Japanese language progrems. My favorite time waster though is Cooking Quest, a find the hidden oblect game.

Those apps look cool! I also have a few games on my iphone to keep my kids occupied. The penguin catapult game recently got us through a day of testing at the drs office. The kids like the iphone better than their nintendos...

Not so much fun for the little ones, but the website I work for has ballroom dance lessons as a series of free apps. Just look for Ballroom Dance Channel under education. Tony Dovolani from Dancing with the Stars is one of our instructors on the rumba. There is even a feature where you can use your IPod/Phone as a virtual partner and dance with Tony.

Great suggestions! My son likes the ABC Animals App, Scoops game, an animal sound app I found (forget the name of that one). I recommend the App Sniper app. It helps you find apps that are on sale or free each day. It is really cool!

Those applications are so cool! I have the old fashion cell phone with no applications so, I'm really liking your iphone!

for your SSO: When do your kids get out of school? Are they doing any camps this summer? How will you keep them occupied? Send all your suggestions my way... Nothing worse than 5 kids saying, "I'm bored."

My Dad writes iPhone apps! He's working on a game right now. He also has some iPhone apps that are already out. He was the one who wrote the original speed-dial app, and also he wrote HANDiBIBLE, HANDiBIBLE The Message, and also HANDiBIBLE German and Romanian. (Those are the Bible for iPhone.)

Brooklyn might like Bus (as in The Wheels on the), Peekaboo Barn and Ballonanimals. My 5yo's favorites are RhinoBall (a Disney Bolt game), Traffic Jam and Big Day (countdowns to birthdays, vacations, etc). I like word games and puzzles, so it's Tetris and Letter Bug that get me. And there's something gratifying about Bug Squash!

I have been wondering something and wanted to ask your advice especially after reading your blog about keeping the kids busy with you iPhone. When my kids were little, I always brought activities wherever we went to keep them busy. Now it seems that they're not happy unless they're busy all the time. Did a create monsters?

I just got my Ipod touch last weekend as an anniversary gift. I love it already but am definitely not too creative with my apps -- maybe this would help me branch out from my long-standing Bejeweled addiction!

Oh my gosh, I don't have an iPhone, but I've played Parking Lot online & got "stuck in traffic" for over an hour. And I'm supposed to be working here! That game - seriously glad I lost the url - is AWESOME!!!